Side Effects is an unusual murder-mystery in that the main question isn’t about who the killer is. Instead, we wonder whether the “motive” of the killer—Rooney Mara’s Emily, a depressed woman dealing with her husband’s release from jail—might have been some unpleasant side effects from a new antidepressant she is taking. Of course, those who have already seen the movie know that’s not exactly the full story: that the *SPOILER COMING* “sleepwalking” was premeditated—and all of the typical movie-mystery questions are unraveled by her doctor (Jude Law) at movie’s end.

Bardey: I think she’s actually a psychopath. A psychopath in terms of psychiatric diagnosis, the DSM IV and now the DSM V, is classified as someone with an antisocial personality disorder—but in more layman’s terms, it’s more of a sociopath or a psychopath, which is someone who readily is able to lie and deceive and manipulate for her own gain.

So we shouldn’t feel bad that she ends up committed.

I don’t think we should feel too bad for her. One of her last lines, when she’s asked “How are you doing?” and she goes “Better. Much Better”—that should send a chill down your spine. She might come back.